It's Okay to Say Merry Christmas!

Picture it. Snow is falling and the fireplace is aglow. You're warm and comfy in your favorite easy chair sipping a cup of hot cider. The chords of a timeless tune begin to warm your heart:

I'm dreaming of a whatever

Just like the ones I've come to know

Where officials chicken and lawyers quicken

To file lawsuits for the dough

I'm dreaming of a whatever

With every fuzzy card I write

May your days be neutral and vague

And may all your whatevers be trite

"Bah, humbug" to the unholiday!

Even Scrooge gets it. "And God bless us everyone"!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Jesus! "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!" It's His birthday, and it's okay to say it.

Jesus is still the reason for the season - the gift that keeps on giving - the good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. And that's why Concerned Women for America is joining once again with our good friends at the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) to keep Christ in Christmas.

Why we need to continue the Christmas project is brought home by another city considering whether to permit a nativity scene, "City leaders decide nativity scene's fate."

ADF announced November 15, 2006, that it has more than 950 allied attorneys available nationwide to combat any improper attempts to censor the celebration of Christmas in schools and on public property. A request for legal representation is available online:

The angels proclaimed His name and so can we:

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." (Luke 2: 9-15)

The fact that § 6103 may accommodate Christians who wish to engage in religious celebrations of Jesus Christ's birth does not mean that the holiday has an impermissible religious effect. The Supreme Court forcefully has stated "when the state … cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions. Ganulin v United States, 71 F Supp 2d 824, 836 (S.D. Ohio 1999) (citing Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306, 313-14 (1952); aff'd, 2000 U.S. App. LEXIS 33889 (U.S. App. LEXIS 6th Cir. 2000); cert. denied, 532 US 973 (2001).

"Frankly, it's ridiculous that Americans have to think twice about whether it's okay to say 'Merry Christmas,'" said ADF President Alan Sears. "Thanks to the ACLU and its allies, Christmas isn't what it used to be. It's time to repair the damage that such organizations have done to America's favorite holiday. An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose censoring Christmas."

• 88 percent of Americans say it is okay for people to wish others "Merry Christmas," and the majority of Americans are more likely to wish someone they just met "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays" (CNN/USA Today/Gallup, 2004).

The purpose of the joint Christmas project is to clear up misconceptions about seasonal religious expression on public property:

• The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled that public schools must ban the singing of religious Christmas carols or prohibit the distribution of candy canes or Christmas cards.

• School officials do not violate the Constitution by closing on religious holidays such as Christmas and Good Friday.

• School officials are not legally obligated to recognize all other religious holidays simply because they officially recognize Thanksgiving or Christmas.

• School officials may use "Christmas Vacation" to refer to the December holiday break without offending the Constitution.

• Government-sponsored Christmas displays are not banned as some people believe. When faced with the question of whether a Christmas display is constitutional, a court simply asks, "Is the government celebrating the holiday or promoting religion?

The angel wasn't responsible to make the shepherds go to Jesus. The angel just gave the invitation. We have the wonderful privilege and opportunity to do the same thing.

Jan LaRue is Senior Legal Analyst with the American Civil Rights Union; former Chief Counsel at Concerned for Women; Legal Studies Director at Family Research Council; and Senior Counsel for the National Law Center for Children and Families.
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